The question is no longer if there will be privacy laws, the question is what that those laws will look like. The world saw the first major online privacy laws passed in 2018.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most well-known, popular, and ground-breaking first step towards protecting consumer’s personal data. GDPR is a data protection and privacy law on data protection and privacy for all individuals in the European Union and European Economic Area. It also takes into account exports of personal data outside the EU and EEA.
Another win for online privacy is California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CPA) passed June 2018. The bill allows California residents to know what information businesses collect from them, where that information comes from, and how it’s shared. Additionally, people have the power to ask for their data to be deleted, request their information stop being sold, and limit selling the data of those under 16 years of age.
The world’s privacy battle will intensify in 2019, especially in the EU. The regulations may differ, but the goal is the same: empower consumers with ownership over their data.
